CLASSIFICATION IN THE JUVENILE JUSTICE SYSTEM: A PROJECT TO DECREASE DETENTION IN THE FOURTH JUDICIAL DISTRICT OF MONTANA

Author

Beth K. Miller

Year of Award

1986

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Type

Master of Arts (MA)

Degree Name

Sociology

Department or School/College

Department of Sociology

Abstract

The research project was funded by a grant from the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) through the Montana Board of Crime Control. The award amount was $5,000 which included equipment purchases and a research component. The grant was from 3-2-87 through 8-29-87. The equipment component was a computer and software packages to aid the Fourth Judicial District Youth Court in record keeping and to automate the instrument chosen as a result of the research to insure ready access by the juvenile probation officers. The purpose of the research component was to evaluate, choose, and implement a risk and a needs instrument that would aid juvenile probation officers in their case management and planning. Another purpose was to provide objective criteria for supervision decisions, partially eliminating the discretion found at all levels of the juvenile justice system.

A primary goal of the OJJDP is to remove juveniles from detention in adult facilities and to find alternatives to detention, along with a focus on prevention. Properly tested instruments work towards the goal of prevention by classifying youth according to their supervision and intervention needs.

Various risk and needs assessments were reviewed and a selection was made for the project. After pretesting the instruments, modifications were made appropriate to the district under study. While the data were being gathered, the instruments were applied to past cases, including a random sample and specific cases in which detention occurred, to determine if use of the instruments would have predicted the detention outcome. While the findings regarding the use of the instruments for detention prevention are inconclusive without further research, definite benefits and uses were apparent.

Juvenile detention in general and specifically in Montana, classification in the criminal justice system, and the juvenile classification system chosen for the project, as developed by the National Institute of Corrections, are presented and discussed.

Recommended Citation

Miller, Beth K., "CLASSIFICATION IN THE JUVENILE JUSTICE SYSTEM: A PROJECT TO DECREASE DETENTION IN THE FOURTH JUDICIAL DISTRICT OF MONTANA" (1986). Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers. 12003.
https://scholarworks.umt.edu/etd/12003